


Even in the summer, even in the spring

by A (mumblemutter), cm (mumblemutter)



Category: Journey into Mystery, Thor (Comics), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gender Play, Incest, M/M, Nonsense, Porn, Pregnant Loki, Size Difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-11-17 09:16:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblemutter/pseuds/A, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblemutter/pseuds/cm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor and Loki have a baby: A comedy in three parts. (A tragedy in none.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even in the summer, even in the spring

**I.**

A "movie marathon", as far as Loki can tell, is a Midgardian tradition of sorts. Generally it is enjoyed with other like-minded individuals, but Leah refuses to join him and he cannot imagine Thor wanting to spend six hours in front of a bright, flickering screen, so Loki is alone when he sits down on the floor, cross-legged, popcorn in his lap and a giant container of soda next to him.

He is nodding off through _Bring It On: Fight to the Finish_ when the idea hits him.

Not the brightest idea, in retrospect, and he might have just gone with being a male cheerleader instead of attempting to turn himself into a female one, but it is far too late to do anything about it when Thor ducks his head into Loki's room and catches him, ruffled skirt flying around his new form as he twirls.

"Oh," Loki says. "Hello, Thor."

"The skirt is rather short," Thor says. He takes a chair, arms crossed, and leaves Loki scrambling for some kind of explanation, even though he has not, as such, asked for one.

"Is it?" Loki tugs awkwardly on it, but he cannot make it stretch any longer. It was a compromise: the very short skirt or the bare midriff, and Loki had gone for the former. "If it were longer it would restrict movement - cheerleading is a sport, you know."

"Indeed it is," Thor says, a slight quirk in the corner of his lips. "Some of my associates commit great acts of heroism in far less, although I have never endeavored to ask if that is the reason why they are adverse to more clothing."

"Ah," Loki says. He draws his hood up over his head, brings his sneakered feet closer. They are too white, the shoes, and the socks keep threatening to slip down his calves.

Thor's watching him, his body very carefully still.

"Ah," Loki says again. "Mortals seem to find this look tantalizing - I suppose it's all that sports-related imagery, where victory is accompanied by buxom women cheering them on in - uh." Loki stops to glance down at his chest, which is anything but buxom. He'd tried bigger, but it had only looked ridiculous on his thin frame. "It's appealing in any realm I imagine, including Asgard." He deflates slightly. "Of course, Asgardians' utter hatred of my personality would temper any lustful feelings they might harbor."

"You understand our nature less than you think, if you believe that to be true," Thor says.

Loki glances up, startled. "I should just change back," he says, clutching at the hem of his skirt.

"You should," Thor pauses. "You have gotten better at illusion."

"It is not an illusion," Loki says. Thor does not respond, and Loki feels his face heat up from the way he is being observed, from how Thor has not once stopped looking at him since he entered the room.

It is inappropriate: they have done nothing more than trade long, messy kisses while Thor's hands hesitate over Loki's body, and inevitably he will break off and push Loki away, muttering faint excuses about Loki's youth and inexperience while Loki bites his lip and yearns.

Or perhaps it is just good, nay - perfect timing. Even the god of mischief is allowed some instances of good luck.

"Don't," Thor says, as Loki hedges even further forward, until they are almost touching. "Change back into your own clothes. And your -" He gestures vaguely at Loki's chest.

"But it took me ages to get this to work. Magic is much harder than evil me made it look. Besides," Loki continues breathlessly, and crawls into Thor's lap. "I haven't gotten what I wanted yet."

"I have no interest in you like this." Thor says. "We cannot. I will not." Even as his arms come up to wrap loosely around Loki's form, even as Loki can feel his interest as he settles down, presses their crotches close together. Loki loops his arms around Thor's shoulders and feels him sigh, his arms tightening as he does so, one large hand coming to rest against Loki's spine and the other against the back of his neck.

"You are not telling the truth."

"No. You do not know what you are asking for."

"I am." He tilts his head up, blinks slowly. "Would you kiss me, please."

Thor exhales, but he only says, "Would you not prefer to be in your true form?"

"It's called roleplay. I've read about it. You can be a hunky quarterback, I can be the head cheerleader. I learned a cheer and everything, do you want to see it? I'm very flexible, I've found out. I can do a backflip half-twist and -"

"No," Thor growls, and then he's kissing Loki. Hotly, wetly, pulling Loki's hood off his head to wind his fingers into Loki's hair and tug him close. Loki shimmies against him, and oh this is new, this hot sort of ache between his legs. He grinds himself slightly against Thor's hardness, and it elicits a groan from Thor and a slow, desperate curling of pleasure up Loki's spine. Thor's hand slips under Loki's skirt, tugs on the elastic band of his panties. He moans slightly at what he finds there, but there is no surprise in his reaction.

Loki curses evil him for, once again, getting there first.

It is simply not fair.

Thor flexes his fingers, slips one inside while Loki is distracted, plotting a meal of evil him, and - "Odin's eye," he exclaims, as wetness floods him, and Thor skillfully crooks his finger, "where did you learn how to do that." He slumps into Thor's arms as Thor moves against him with practiced ease, the knuckle of his thumb pressed outside on an almost unbearably sensitive spot. Thor laughs, low and smug, and Loki mutters, "Oh, stop. No, don't stop. I find I am out of words. This has not happened before." Thor releases him after Loki begs him to stop teasing, "Please, more, _please_ ," and when Loki lifts his head he finds Thor's face drawn tight.

"Look at you," Thor says, and his voice breaks slightly. Loki shifts, and Thor stifles a gasp. "Oh, Loki."

Thor lifts him up by the back of his uniform and Loki would magic away Thor's trousers but he has forgotten how, so he leaves Thor to fumble, except that instead of lowering Loki down he lifts him up higher instead, nudges his head under the skirt. He tugs Loki's panties down with his teeth, all the way to his thighs, and it's only because Thor is so strong that there isn't an unfortunate tumbling incident as Loki squirms to get them off his body. "Cute," Thor mutters, bunching them up into his fist before he tosses them aside.

"The horn motif was my own design. I was largely inspired by, _ah_ -" He forgets what he wants to say as Thor slips his head back beneath Loki's skirt, his breath hot for a moment against Loki's skin before he slides his tongue inside him, opening him up carefully. Loki hitches one leg over Thor's shoulder to leverage himself closer, tangles his hand into Thor's hair, but that's the extent of any kind of coordinated movement he can accomplish: almost delirious with pleasure, trying to stop more than the littlest of noises from escaping his throat, and for a moment he thinks of doing this again when he's got his male form back, Thor swallowing him down as easy as he's lifting him up. But that thought is fleeting and chased away almost immediately by no thoughts at all, by Thor's lips against him and his tongue inside, and he is so wet and Thor's skin is so warm and Loki simply can't - he can't - the build is unbearable and he will die like this, he will. It hits him with an almost staggering force, the muscles in his thighs clenching as he bends his spine back and bites his lower lip to stop himself from screaming.

"Oh, Thor," he says dizzily, as Thor lets him slide down his chest, once he gets his senses back. "Oh, that was nice." Thor's face is wetly smeared, and he just watches as Loki presses his hands against his chest and says, after a while, when he has had some time to calm down, "I want to. Yes."

"No." Thor frowns. "Not today."

"Yes, today. I am young, and nubile, and I am not certain I can conjure this form again, and you are already here, and ready."

"Those are not good reasons, Loki." But he doesn't stop Loki from fumbling with his trousers, and when Loki frowns in concentration he lifts his hand to brush his thumb across the center of Loki's forehead, smoothing the lines away.

"A little help here, please."

Nakedness on Thor's part is accomplished, finally, when he lifts Loki up and sets him down onto his mat before undressing himself slowly, as Loki tries to control himself and not climb him as he has seen spider monkeys do on late night documentaries. It is the first time he has seen Thor without his clothes on. "You are very handsome," Loki tells him, quite sincerely.

"Shush, Loki." He lowers himself down to the floor, onto his knees. Loki pulls off his top and shimmies out of his skirt, but when he makes to take off the socks and shoes Thor touches him lightly on the outside of his knee, and so Loki leaves them on. Thor kisses him then, on the forehead, the cheeks, the chin, his small breasts.

"You are the best brother," Loki says dreamily, trailing his hands across the broad expanse of Thor's chest. Wants, he wants. Loki lowers a hand, slides it down to wrap around the length of Thor's cock. "Please."

Thor lowers his head to kiss the inside of each of Loki's knees, just above where his socks have somehow managed to remain, before using his thumbs to spread his legs apart. Loki raises himself up onto his palms, watching as Thor pushes the head of his cock into him and Loki feels his eyes widening, his chest rising rapidly. "Breathe, Loki," Thor says. Loki did not conjure this form to be a virgin and yet it hurts, as he tries to adjust to Thor's cock, far thicker than his fingers and harder than his tongue.

"I have read that bigger is better," he mutters fitfully. "I feel they were misinformed." Thor does not respond, does not move, only continues to watch Loki with a dazed expression on his face. He is exerting self-control, Loki realizes a moment later. "No, you can." It would be easier, yes, if Thor would just take him. He starts making the most shallow of thrusts, each one deeper than the next, and Loki's discomfort shifts to the left. He spreads his legs wider still, presses his heels down onto the mat for support.

"You should be doing this with one of your own age," Thor says tightly, his hand coming to rest on Loki's belly.

"And which Asgardian brute would you allow to have me, Thor?"

"None," Thor says, after considerable pause, and it seems a difficult word for him to say.

He pulls out slowly, over Loki's protests, but kisses him on the temple until Loki is reassured he isn't going anywhere, just arranging them both until he can slide in again, both of them lying on their sides with Loki's back pressed against his chest. Loki twists his head to kiss him as Thor starts thrusting, yet again, and Loki clutches at his forearm and sighs. There's a moment, a slight slackening of the muscles in Thor's face, where Loki knows he's stopped considering Loki's comfort and is lost in his own desire, and Loki turns his head then, presses his cheek against the pillow to moan, open mouthed and wet. He slides a hand between his legs, trying to find the sweet spot again, and gets distracted by the slick, wet slide of Thor's cock. He leaves his hand there, lets the pleasure remain at a slow, unhurried pace, and through the haze of it he can hear Thor, murmuring into the shell of his ear. A fair bit of is future blackmail material, if Loki were ever so inclined, and he will never be: this is his, and his only.

"Thor," he says, crying out almost helplessly, "I can feel you inside me, oh. I -" he forgets then, what he needs to say, as Thor shudders, and Loki feels his cock pulsing against his fingers as he makes one final thrust. His hand finds its way over Loki's, everything soft and slippery and hot, and he rubs both their fingers over the same electric spot over and over again, curling inwards as Thor presses open-mouthed kisses everywhere he can reach. Time stops for one long moment as the pleasure hits every part of him at once, as his toes curl almost painfully and the slick noises between his legs drown out everything else.

He feels spent right after, weightless, and he's too tired to do anything but wipe his hand on the mat unsteadily and push closer against his brother's solid heat. "A+++," he tells Thor drowsily. "Would buy again."

 

**II.**

It is because he's exhausted that he remains in this form long after Thor kisses him on the brow and leaves "to attend to important matters," he says. Loki waves at him before he drifts back to sleep, and only awakens much later, a queasy, tight feeling low in his belly.

How odd. How very, very odd.

He goes to visit Leah after he has bathed and cleaned himself up, re-dressed in his regular clothes, a bit tighter now over his chest. Leah doesn't seem to notice, she merely says, "Loki you look pale. If you are ill stay away from me please."

"I am not ill. Do I look different?" It is because he is a man now, he wants to tell her. Or a woman. Surely it still counts. Leah ignores him as he continues to ponder this, but as he takes a step forward he finds himself disoriented and dizzy, and ends up sagging to the ground. "Oh," he says, as Leah rushes to his side. "I do feel rather unwell." He closes his eyes, and the world goes blissfully black.

He opens them to the All-Mothers gathered around him, discussing amongst themselves in low, measured tones. "This does not necessarily herald bad news," Gaea says.

"We have not yet had a newborn in Asgard since Volstagg's and Hildegund's latest."

"That was a while ago yet."

"But this is Loki."

"Aye. And Thor."

"Thor?"

"My, my. He has been busy, has he not?"

Loki sits up, very carefully, and exhales quietly when nothing spins or turns bright or threatens to fade away. He is on a bed of the softest silk, a blanket tucked carefully around his form. "Why, dear All-Mother," Loki asks, "are we discussing babies?"

They exchange glances.

"Oh," Loki says. "Surely not. Do not jest in manners such as these. Is this some sort of elaborate prank?" He puts his head in his hands almost immediately after he utters the words, because as far as he is aware, the All-Mothers are not in possession of this sort of humor.

This is certainly most unexpected.

Thor seems somewhat flummoxed when Loki breaks the news to him. "Don't look at me, you're the one that brought me back."

"But it was only yesterday. How can you be certain?"

"Heimdall. Sees everything, knows everything."

Thor's mouth opens, and then shuts once again, before he says, "This is not good."

Loki remembers a few movies he has watched, and how this is supposed to go. His lower lip trembles. "Do you not want this child? Do you think it is not yours. Because I assure you -"

"I am in no mood for your games."

This time, the tears that threaten to overflow are real. "But this is not a game."

"No, it is not." He sits heavily down onto the bed, and pulls Loki into his lap. "A child, then."

Loki nods his head, says hesitantly, "Ours. Trust that this was as much a surprise to me as it is to you."

Thor's hand settles on the back of Loki's neck. "I know, Loki."

"What kind of a child do you think we will have? I have done my research -"

"Have you."

"Evil me's offspring was kind of - different."

"Aye. But you are different as well."

"What if it is a wolf, though. Or a horse," Loki says, faintly alarmed.

"You are a bit small for a horse. And I am not a stallion."

"That's certainly debatable," Loki declares huffily. At the very least, it brings a smile to Thor's face. "What if it spells the end of all things, yet again."

"I believe that role has already been reserved by you." He puts his hand on Lokis belly, frowns worriedly. "You are tiny."

"I'm a god," Loki says airily.

"Still, we must visit the healers."

Loki argues against this startlingly bad idea and loses, quite abruptly, when Thor simply picks him up and carries him into the depths of the castle, where the healers hover around what Loki has come to think of as the Asgardian version of their cauldrons: the refusal to acknowledge the advances of modern medicine wafting through the room like thick fog. The again, gods are not often in need of penicillin.

Loki keeps up his protests, but it's rather difficult since Thor seems to simply not be listening. It is most vexing. "Thor," Loki tries again. "I'm speaking to myself. Fine."

Thor puts Loki down in the middle of the room and says, "My brother is with child."

Everyone turns to stare. Loki shrinks back behind Thor, peeks out from behind his cloak. When they continue to stare, he decides to try a little wave. "Hello, healers!"

After much muttering and fluttering of hands - and oh the entirety of Asgard will know of this come morning - they hand him a cup of steaming green sludge which allegedly contains body strengthening herbs, "Fit for even the most royal of gods." The glint in the healer's eye is the familiar one of an Asgardian harboring a lingering grudge. Against Loki, no doubt, but he doesn't suspect sabotage, merely spite: Asgardians are more afraid of the wrath of Thor than they yearn for revenge.

"I feel they are merely humoring us," Loki complains as he downs the disgusting concoction.

Thor is not amused. "Finish it," he says.

Loki does, but after wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve he says crossly, "I do not relinquish my rights simply because I carry the child of the son of Asgard."

Thor looks thoughtful for a good, long moment before he sets his hammer down, and drops to a knee as Loki is turning away." He draws Loki gently back, says, "You are right and I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Loki says. "May we leave, please. This place is exceedingly depressing."

He is to down a cupful of the herbs each morning, and only in the morning. Loki makes plans to be otherwise unavailable whenever Thor comes to find him, but his hopes are dashed when Thor insists, quite persistently, that Loki move into his chambers instead. "But I like my room," Loki says. "It has cable TV."

"And a hole in the ground."

"That protects me from assassination attempts!"

"My rooms will protect you from any attempts against your life."

Loki cannot argue with that. "Fine," he mutters. "But I'm bringing all my toys with me."

He isn't wrong about the healers. The entirety of Asgard is aware of the pregnancy soon enough. Loki frets for a while: the Asgardians are a deeply suspicious people, and combined with their general loathing of Loki, he starts to worry both about his future and the future of his child-to-be. Thor seems unconcerned though, and when Loki expresses his doubts he merely says, "They would have to go through me if they want to hurt you."

"You cannot keep an eye on me always."

And yet Thor is correct: it is quietly decided that if Thor is overly protective of and blinded by his brother, then even more so of his brother with child, and yet more of whatever chooses to crawl out of him. A general air of smiling and nodding settles over Asgardia, most notably around Loki.

"Do you know this is the first of these I have ever been invited to," Loki whispers into Thor's ear, at some random celebration for Asgardia not falling to the ground in another war, yet again. "It is not quite as enjoyable as I pictured it. Mostly due to how I keep keep getting cautious, terrified looks which immediately transform into even more terrifying smiles when I catch their gazes."

"Do you want to leave?"

"What, and miss all this fun?"

Only Volstagg seems to be genuine in his congratulations. He slaps Thor heartily on the back and says, "Aye, Thor. Children are a delight. They are monsters, but delightful monsters nonetheless."

"Thank you, Volstagg," Thor says. Volstagg offers Loki a wink, and Loki beams back in response.

Loki's good cheer only lasts a few days. Soon enough he is struck with a chill, shivering and shaking as the cold burns him up from inside. The healers only keep insisting that it is the unborn child, to the point where Thor threatens to go to Midgard to get a human doctor. "If Asgardian medicine cannot assist," Loki croaks, through dry and bitten lips, "Why do you assume a human doctor can help? My body is hardly mortal, and this child no doubt isn't either. Thor, what have you put inside me."

Thor looks appropriately guilty. He envelops Loki in his arms, drapes furs and his cloak across his body as well. None are as warm as he is. "Oh this is good," Loki says, pressing himself against Thor, searching for any bare skin he can find. "You are hot, this is good."

Thor barely leaves his side after that, offers his immense body heat without complaint. Loki sleeps through the worst of it, thankfully, awakes in bursts of clarity to eat, or to take a hot bath. Only once does Thor leave for more than a few hours, when an Avenger comes to visit.

"I don't mean to interrupt you while you're bonding with your malevolent child bride, but -" the man says.

"We are not wed," Thor interrupts. _This_ , he chooses to object to. Loki raises his hand feebly: not evil, also not a child.

He is ignored by both parties, so he drifts back to sleep instead and when he awakens it's due to Thor shaking him awake, sprouting something about the realms and giant robots or dragons or something needing his urgent attention.

"But if you require my presence -"

"Oh nonsense," Loki says, and tries not to shiver when Thor presses a kiss to his forehead. "Far be it for me to stop you from doing what a hero does." Which is: to save what requires saving, and to sacrifice what's required as well.

"I will return as soon as I can."

"No, take your time. I will just be here. Not helping."

"You could not help anyway."

" _Not helping._ "

It is lost on Thor.

The illness is over, as swiftly as it had come upon him. Loki sits up one afternoon, warm for the first time in what seems like ages. Thor sits up as well, looks mildly alarmed as Loki throws the covers off. "I feel fantastic," Loki says, through teeth that aren't chattering for once. Thor puts his hand to Loki's forehead, murmurs in assent.

"Are you hungry? I could call for food."

"I am not hungry," Loki replies. He slides his hand along Thor's waist, down to where his hip meets his thigh. They've been touching for days, but only for heat.

"You have only just recovered, Loki," Thor says, mildly admonishing.

"But I really do feel great." He lies back down and paws at Thor, peppers his throat with salty kisses until Thor relents, allows Loki to slide their bodies together. Loki drags Thor's hand to inbetween his legs. "We have only done this the once," he says, scowling fiercely. "I have only done this the once. It is unfair, do you not think?"

"Hmm." Thor seems as if he wants to argue, but in the end he merely presses a kiss to Loki's lips, and his hand remains where it is, fingers sliding against Loki's skin. He says though, after the kiss is broken, "Not right now, Loki. After," he kisses Loki again, to cover his protests, "After we see the healers and are assured you will be fine."

The healers blather, and Loki touches his belly as they do so, feels a faint buzzing noise inside of him. Is he to give birth to a giant bee, then. That is a mildly disconcerting thought. He pushes it aside, in favor of lewd fantasies that he conveys to Thor as soon as they return to the privacy of Thor's chambers.

Thor peels off both their clothes before kissing him, his touch infinitely gentle. Loki tries patting him on the back: _I'm here, I'm fine_ , but Thor merely slides their bodies together unhurriedly, and refuses to increase the pace.

It is sweet, nonetheless.

They start doing this a lot, after that. In between Loki consumes more food than should be possible to fit into his body, downloads baby books to read - there is no Asgardian equivalent, as he finds out. "Birthing is easy," he is told by the grouchy old god guarding the Library, "Why would anyone require a book on it?"

"But what of parenting?"

"Parenting, hah. How difficult can it be to clothe and feed a child until it is old enough to clothe and feed itself?"

This explains a lot about Asgardians in general, Loki decides.

He conveys this to Leah, but her only response is to huff at him and tell him, again, that she will not knit him baby clothes. "Do I look like a seamstress to you, Loki?"

"Well."

"I will poke your eyes out with knitting needles."

"Aha, so you do know what they are!"

Leah puts her head to his belly, after some cajoling. "Oh," she says, jerking her head back in surprise. "I hear buzzing!"

"So you hear it too?" Loki deflates somewhat, and sits down heavily. "I had assumed it was just me."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing. It could be anything," Leah says, brightening considerably. "I love surprises."

"No, you do not," Loki says. He leans his head onto her shoulder, and she pats him awkwardly.

"You should tell Thor."

"He will only overreact."

He does, in the end, and finds himself whisked away to an ultrasound at a private medical facility, generously provided for by Tony Stark, he of the marvelous technological miracles and quite unbearable accompanying personality. Then again: the behavior of most people tends to shift dramatically when it comes to Loki. But evil him probably never had to endure the humiliation of all the electronics in the building shorting out as he is on lies that singularly uncomfortable table while a doctor yaps about his anatomy.

"That did not go as expected," Loki says.

"Aye," Thor replies. "It will be fine, Loki. Have faith."

The buzzing only gets worse, to the point where even Thor can hear it when he puts his ear to Loki's belly. Surprisingly, Thor seems to find it delightful rather than worrisome. Loki less so. "It feels as if I am being poked by a bee attempting to mate blindly with a flower."

"Perhaps the child is merely ready for its arrival and is excited."

Loki stares at his only slightly distended belly. "Should I not be bigger than this if that were the case?"

Thor only shrugs.

But he is right, in the end.

The baby comes at dawn. Loki is startled awake by the sudden stop to the buzzing in his belly, and when he opens his eyes there is a small creature sitting on it: a riot of astonishingly bright, wavering colors, in every shade of the rainbow, about the size of Lokis hand. As he watches, the colors shift and separate, form arms, legs, a torso and finally a face, identical to Loki's but in miniature and made of light.

"Hullo, baby," Loki says.

He pokes Thor, who opens his eyes and immediately sits up, and reaches out. "Oh," he says, marvel deep in his voice. "He's warm."

Loki gets up into his elbows indignantly. "Why do you assume it is a he."

A small smile stretches across Thor's face. "It could be a her. Or nothing of the sort. Does not matter." He brings up his other hand and again the lightning sparks between them. "Do you want to carry him?"

Thor lies back down, and Loki follows, the baby nestled between them. He tries extending a finger as well, is startled by the burst of static on his skin. Not painful, just sharp. And warm. He laughs as his thumb is enveloped in light, tugs back experimentally and feels an answering tug. How utterly delightful. He laughs again, and that is when Thor kisses him.

It is all decidedly fashioned after the late night offerings of Hallmark, but it is far easier to be derisive when one is not part of the story unfolding.

Thor breaks the kiss finally, too soon, and says, "We should tell the All-Mother."

"Let Heimdall sound the birth," Loki replies, too content to move. "I cannot be bothered just yet."

"Mmm," Thor replies agreeably.

 

**III.**

Loki returns back to his male form with some gratefulness - relieving oneself is far easier when male, and it wasn't as if his female form was willing to produce any sort of motherly sustenance either. But the baby seems content enough to coo, and flit exitedly around them both. Loki catches it once near an electrical socket, the lights flickering as it extends a finger. They are plunged into darkness a moment later. "Whups," Loki says.

Thor says, when Loki informs him, "I shall bring him up into the air. He can feed on electricity there."

"Him again," Loki says sourly. "I thought we had agreed."

"You agreed. I have a son. He looks like you."

"Daughters are good too," Loki grumbles. "Genderless being of light are good as well. You will give it a complex."

Thor goes very still. He doesn't speak, but Loki wraps his arms around him and says, "No. You are already a better father than he is. We don't have to repeat the mistakes of our past."

"Don't we? Is that not how it always goes?"

"I wouldn't know." Loki swallows. "I'm brand new."

Thor picks Loki up with one hand, bids for the baby to jump into his arm. He spins Mjolnir and they rise into the air, past the glittering city and deep into the clouds. Lightning crackles all around them, and Loki throws his head back and laughs in delight as the baby buzzes around excitedly, feeding off the electricity. "You should kiss me now," he tells Thor. "It's romantic."

They stop arguing over gender, eventually. The child is beautiful, and Loki loves it, almost unbearably so. Her, or him, or it. They cannot settle on a name, either. Leah turns her nose up, says, "You can call it 'that frightful thing I refuse to babysit', because I will not, Loki." This before it jumps into her arms and makes a low, buzzing sound that Loki's come to recognize as displaying contentment. "All right, perhaps on occasion," Leah concedes reluctantly, her hand coming up to give the baby a tentative pat on the back. The buzzing increases as she rubs. "It is more solid than I expected. Huh."

Loki claps his hands together. "Is it not delightful. I made it," he adds proudly.

"Any barn animal can produce offspring. They do not call it a miracle."

Loki's face falls.

"Fine, congratulations. You are Loki the most accomplished, Loki the amazing-"

"Enough, Leah." Loki covers his ears with his hands. "A name. It is of the utmost importance that we name it."

"Why?" She sits down on a rock, the baby cradled against her chest. "Perhaps you cannot find a name for it because it does not require one. Or want one."

"I cannot call it 'the baby' forever," Loki says indignantly. He moves to sit next to her, and the baby ignores him utterly to coo beguilingly at Leah. It almost brings a smile to her face. "And then when it grows, what do we do?"

"Oh, you will think of something," Leah replies, with much disinterest. The baby tugs on her hair, and she continues, "It is not like you at all. For starters, I am already enjoying its company, and it is very mature for its age."

Loki rests his head against Leah's shoulder, and she sighs but does not shift away. "You will babysit then, yes?"

"Maybe," she says. "But I refuse to be its godparent."

"Fantastic!" Loki jumps to his feet. "I shall inform Thor the baby has a babysitter and a godmother. He will be so pleased."

Thor only rumbles in amusement, and draws Loki to his chest. He has been gone all day, and when Loki asks where he merely responds with a brusque, "Avengers business." He pauses, briefly. "I shall be gone a few days from now as well. Only for a while."

"Oh?"

"They are having a gathering. I am told it happens rarely, but there is to be food and drinks served, and I feel obligated to attend."

"A party," Loki says enthusiastically. "I love parties. I have never been to any, but I am assured I will be the life of one."

"It is not a - they did not mention your name when I was asked."

But Loki has never been one to be put off simply by a lack of invitation, and after some badgering Thor merely throws his hands up and says, "Fine, yes, you can come." Loki half intends to leave the baby with Leah, but in the end he puts it into a pram and takes it with them.

"Where did you get this," Thor asks, leaning in to wiggle his fingers in front of the baby's face.

"On the internet. You can purchase things with credit."

"Whose credit?"

"Ah," Loki says, crossing one foot in front of the other. "Look, let us not dally, or we shall be late. It is okay to be fashionably so, but not to the point where we appear rude."

Thor doesn't press the matter, instead patiently puts Loki on the back of his neck and lifts the pram. "This would be easier if I could just carry the baby." Loki merely tugs on his hair, and Thor lifts them skywards. The journey to the house is pleasant, the reaction of those gathered less so. He is obviously expected, because there are no exclamations of surprise, but gazes are still averted and throats are cleared when they land.

Loki drifts away from Thor, busies himself with fussing over the baby as Thor engages in conversation with someone Loki recognizes as Captain America. At some point a woman comes over, the first person that has made eye contact with him all evening. She leans into the pram and says, "How delightful, he's an energy creature." She extends her hand and says, "You must be Loki. Have we met?"

"No," Loki says, only slightly defensive.

She nods her head as if she believes him though, and drifts away. Loki doesn't catch her name, but she corners Thor in the kitchen afterwards, and Loki inches closer to hear the conversation.

"You are one of the most virtuous and noble men I have ever had the pleasure to meet," she's saying. "I'm trying to reconcile that with this."

"With what?"

She sighs and pinches her forehead. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here, and - okay fine, he's your brother, you're not human, I won't assume that our taboos mean anything to you, but even assuming he's eighteen although he certainly doesn't look it, that's awfully young considering your age. Not even adding in that he happens to be Loki."

Loki hasn't considered that this would reflect badly on Thor.

This would explain then all the oddly concerned glances he has been on the receiving end of throughout the evening - he is not concerned if they are worried that he has plans to betray his brother, but if they are concerned over the loss of his virtue at Thor's hands.

Loki can foresee no quick way to fix it: this is troubling.

"I understand your concern," Thor says. "But my relationship with Loki is my own business, and always has been."

"Yes, of course." She puts her hand on his arm. "Thor, you are my friend and colleague. We all care for you. This might take some adjusting to, that's all."

Loki cannot take it anymore. He rushes forward, inserts himself between the two of them. "I am a god," he declares, "No matter what form I choose to wear. Not a child."

There's not much to say after that. Thor offers to leave, and she bids them to stay, but he curls his arm around Lokis chest and says, "No, it is Loki's bedtime soon." There is a dry tone to his voice that Loki rarely hears.

"That was rather disastrous," Loki says, after they have put the baby to sleep and Thor is standing him on the bed. Even like this his eyes are barely level with Thor's.

Thor carefully removes Loki's crown, before he pushes the hood off his head. He looks thoughtful, never a good sign, and after a moment he asks, "Do I hurt you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. You are -"

"No word games, Loki. I brought you back. It was not for this, and yet this is where we have ended up, yet again."

"It is a very pleasant place to be, let me assure you." He bites his lower lip as Thor's thumb rubs across his eyebrow, tilting his head back.

"Most of Asgard will not question my behavior, not directly. But these are honest people, the bravest of warriors that I have had the pleasure to go to battle with. You are young. Easily influenced, and I am not easily dissuaded from pursuing what I want."

Loki rolls his eyes, tired of where this conversation is headed. "Would you listen to yourself. I am not some fair maiden whose honor you have stolen with sweet words and empty promises."

"Be that as it may -"

"My desires are my own. Evil me also wanted you dead." Loki raises himself up onto his tiptoes and wraps his arms around Thor's neck, kisses the side of his lips. "I merely want you to keep pleasuring me." Thor growls, low in his throat.

Loki curls one, and then the other leg around Thor's waist. Thor hesitates briefly before his hands come to rest on Loki's back in support. "We are a family," Loki says softly. "It is what I want."

Thor lowers Loki down onto the bed, settling onto his elbows above him, and Loki magicks away their clothes, except for his own boots. Their presence pleases Thor in the most enchanting way. Thor looks briefly nonplussed, and Loki tells him, "I am getting better. I've been practising."

"Ah," Thor replies, then says: "You have always gotten what you want, Loki."

Loki shakes his head quickly, puts his fingers to Thor's lips. "No, not always. Not often, anyway. But you're easy." Thor brushes Loki's hair away from his face then, and Loki leans into his warmth.

"This is true."

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a single line extra for **dressup** , **verbal humiliation** , **vanilla kink** (wildcard), **gender play** , and **service**.


End file.
